In overlaying composite laminate material such as hot drape composite laminate material onto a three dimensional forming tool in fabricating three dimensional parts, it is a difficult and problematic to reduce fiber wrinkling within plies of composite laminate material. Each three dimensional part has a unique configuration such that ply winkling is often unknown until trial parts are made. As fibers in a ply extend over a contour, for example, in a three dimensional forming tool the fibers tend to wrinkle. Wrinkling of the fibers is not desired since wrinkling diminishes the strength performance of the finished composite part.
In vacuum bagging composite laminate material to form a three dimensional component configuration the use of stretchable bagging material would promote undesirable wrinkling of fibers within the composite material. The stretchable material, during the vacuum application, would apply a tension force to composite layers or plies proximate to the stretchable bagging material particularly as the plies of the composite material extended about a bend in the forming tool being used to form the three dimensional component. At the same time in contrast the elastomeric or stretchable bagging material exerts a compression force to plies or layers of the composite material more distal from the stretchable bagging material and more proximate to the forming tool. Thus, a portion of the plies are placed in tension and a portion of the plies on an opposing side of a neutral axis within the composite material are placed into compression. Those plies and fibers placed into compression promote undesirable wrinkling of the fibers thereby diminishing strength performance of the component being fabricated. As a result, there is a need to reduce or eliminate compression being exerted on fibers positioned more distal from the stretchable bagging material and more proximate to the forming tool.